Senators propose ‘USA Liberty Act’ to reauthorize NSA surveillance

Even with that, there are critics saying it doesn’t go far enough. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says that most importantly, it doesn’t stop the NSA from collecting data on innocent people. Further, its rules on “new reporting requirements, new defaults around data deletion, and new guidance for amicus engagement with the FISA Court” don’t go far enough, and won’t end so-called “backdoor searching.” Still, ACLU counsel Neema Singh Guliani called it an improvement over the House legislation, noting its warrant requirement.

Section 702 is supposed to let the NSA collect emails and communications of foreigners living overseas from US companies, but because those people communicate with Americans, all of that data is potentially accessible. This prospect of domestic spying without a warrant, as other agencies can ask for access the NSA’s data. It also needs to be reauthorized periodically, which is why lawmakers are considering this now.